


Sire Before Father

by Specks_of_Love



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Family, Father Figures, Mentions of Death, Young Main Character, slow plot, toyformers, wholesome moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 14:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17489585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specks_of_Love/pseuds/Specks_of_Love
Summary: The death of her brother and the slow destruction of her family leaves young Anna vulnerable to the darkness of abuse. But one small friend is determined to make sure she's safe, even at the cost of his own life.





	Sire Before Father

They were fighting again...screaming so loud that Anna was very sure that her poor ears would be ringing for awhile. Her little clock with the pretty mermaid told her it hadn’t been even twenty minutes since her parents had sent her to bed. Well, kind of. They didn’t send her to bed anymore, not like they used to. These days Anna would just excuse herself from dinner, taking the escalating conversation as her cue to leave. 

Her heart hurt to think about it but a loud bang against the downstairs wall startled her out of her sadness, her heart beating fast in fear. She wished she could still climb into bed with her brother, Lucas, like she used to do when she had nightmares. His bed was right next to hers and he was always a lot nicer than mom or dad when it was past bedtime.

But Lucas’ bed was empty. And it was going to stay empty for a long time. 

Forever actually.

Anna jumped as there was another crash downstairs and a couple of thumps. It sounded like someone had broken a plate and fell. She’d have to be careful where she walked tomorrow morning. She didn’t want to cut her feet again. 

The child brought her blankets tighter around her body, sad and scared. 

“It’s going to be okay, Anna.” 

Anna sniffed as the small figure climbed onto her bed, stumbling slightly over the large wrinkles in her blankets. The child mindfully pulled a flashlight from under her pillow and flicked it on, letting the soft beam come to rest on the slightly dented armor but still shiny red and blue armor of the toy.

“But what if they come in my room again?” Anna mumbled, “Dad bent my arm and it hurt a whole lot the last time.”

“Youngling, I promise to do my best to help you.” The figurine promised gently, placing a hand gently on her arm.

“Promise?”

“I promise. Swear on my spark.” 

Anna jumped again as she heard another loud thud, but could tell that it was coming from the stairwell. Someone was trying to come up the stairs. The littler figure on her bed wobbled from the movement but stayed at her lap. 

“Turn off your flashlight, Anna.” 

“O-okay.”

With a tiny click the room was plunged back into darkness, the only light coming from the window at the other side of the room. The curtains were pulled and had stars on them. Lucas told her they used to glow in the dark but were so old they just didn’t anymore. They’d hung glow sticks from the bar to make up for the lack of effort on the curtain’s behalf. 

“Lay down Anna, I will be right behind you.”

“Okay…”

The headboard of Anna’s bed conveniently had a shelf built into it which allowed Anna to keep stuffed animals without them falling all over the floor when she slept. Her little figure friend expertly maneuvered into a hiding spot between the elephant and the bear, intently watching the door as the thumping moved higher up the stairs. 

Anna couldn’t help but shake, her teeth chattering like they often did whenever she stressed or scared. The pair continued to listen as the thudding finally reached the top of the stairs, apparently tripping over the flat surface as another thud shook the walls of Anna’s room. 

Loud, but slurred, cursing could be heard through the walls as the person heavily fell into the wall. Clearly, they were using the wall to aid them down the hall, nearing closer and closer to Anna’s door. 

“I’m scared…”

“I know little one.” The deep voice soothed from behind her head, gently reaching out to pet her hair, “Be strong.”

Anna couldn’t see it but her smaller friend had a frown set firmly on his faceplates. He was going to protect her, this child, with his life if he had to. He could hear Anna hold her breath as the figure, probably her father due to the weight behind the fall, pass her door and continue to his own room down the hall. 

He then relaxed. According to pattern, Anna’s mother rarely -if ever- joined her husband anymore, electing to sleep downstairs on the couch or in one of the chairs. If he had to guess, this was likely the cause of her terrible moods in the morning that Anna would often report to him. 

Anna slowly released her breath and turned around, flicking the flashlight on a moment later. “I think it’s safe now.” 

It churned his tanks to hear how happy that made Anna. Living in fear of her parents was the last thing he’d have wanted for her. 

“I think you may be right, little one.” He agreed, slipping out of his hiding spot. “And that means now is the perfect time for you to get some sleep.”

“But I’m not tired, not really.” She huffed softly.

“You are not tired, because you were scared. Once you calm down you will be tired.” The toy reasoned with a small chuckle, knowing what the child was trying to pull.

“But until then…” She trailed off and the toy smiled, his guess right on the mark.

“Would you like me to read to you?” He offered and Anna smiled with delight. 

“Yes, please!” She chirped, yet kept the voice low. 

“Alright, go choose one then-! Wait! Anna-!” But his warning came to late.

Her feet made contact heavily with the floor and she froze, realizing what she had done. The toy’s armor tensed, and he beckoned for Anna to come back into bed, fear stricken across the little girl’s face.

Slowly and as quietly as she could manage, Anna climbed back into bed, hoping that her mother hadn’t noticed the sound of her footfalls. The floors were thin and her mother was a very light sleeper. Anna hoped her mother would forget she had been out of bed the next morning, or -even better- hadn’t heard it at all.

Anna laid back down, stiff and silent, clearly defeated. 

“It will be alright youngling, tomorrow is Monday and you will be at school. You will not have to be home for very long in the morning.” He soothed her, petting her hair again. 

Anna sniffed, blinking back tears with a small smile. “Thank you, Optimus.” She hiccuped, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Of course little one,” the prime smiled gently, “now get some rest. I will be right here.”

“Hehe, okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is also on my FanFiction account under SongBird's Spirit. Updates will sometimes be posted there first.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
